Sometimes it would slam down against the ground. At other times, it would deflect off a Palos Verdes girls volleyball player.

But the result was pretty much the same, at least in the emphatic opening game.

Mira Costa came out with an agenda and met every objective, providing a not-so-gentle reminder of which team reigns over the South Bay by quickly dispatching Palos Verdes in a 25-11, 25-18, 25-17 Bay League rout on Wednesday at Mira Costa, all but wrapping up yet another Bay League title.

“It was a great performance by everyone,” said Falyn Fonoimoana, who had 18 kills and three aces. “We had no letdowns. Our expectations were to thrive, and we achieved everything we wanted in this match.”

It seemed like every Mira Costa player who went up for the ball came down with a kill, that every player who went after the ball had a big dig or an even more imposing block.

This time, Palos Verdes had no answers.

“They were out to prove a point,” Palos Verdes coach Pinter Aguirre said. “We kind of caught them off guard the first time, and they were not going to let that happen again.”

Fonoimoana was close to perfect. She had just three hitting errors and finished with a scorching .556 hitting percentage.

Sophomore Emma White also came out blistering with eight kills. Sheridan Taylor added seven kills and four blocks, and Alyssa Anderson had 44 assists. Erica Lau added five kills and two blocks, Alex McBride had four kills and Jackie Gardner added three kills.

Mira Costa (23-4, 7-0) seized control of the first game, breaking a 3-3 tie with an 8-0 run. Eventually Mira Costa had a 24-7 lead before Palos Verdes fought off four game-points to reach double-digits. The last two games were closer, but Mira Costa never lost control.

“We realized that they were a good team and we were more prepared this time,” White said. “Since it was close last time, we knew it was important to start strong and keep the fire going.”

Mira Costa rebounded well after losing the final of the Santa Barbara Tournament on the weekend to Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.

“They were disappointed not to win the tournament, but they turned their focus back to league to finish strong and get ready for the playoffs,” Mira Costa coach Lisa Zimmerman said. “They were doing all the little things that help create more scoring opportunities, and all their hard work showed.”

Freshman Kelly Johnson led Palos Verdes (14-4, 4-2) with six kills and six digs. Caroline Daly added four kills and two blocks, Katie Handy had three kills, Dana Connors and Malia Maier each had seven digs, and Madison Smith had 15 assists.

“It’s kind of a bummer,” Smith said. “It’s my last time playing Costa, and our seniors wanted to show a fight, especially considering we were crushed all those years, but we never proved ourselves tonight. We definitely didn’t bring our best, but we just need to shake it off.”

It was quite a performance against a Palos Verdes team that emerged as the new rival to the throne, especially after Palos Verdes’ close loss to Mira Costa two weeks ago. tony.ciniglio@dailybreeze.com

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